Eyes of the Undead
by kkk781
Summary: What interest does a four hundred year old vampire have in the Phantom of the Opera? Can Erik escape from her clutches, or will he be drawn into an age old war? Please review!
1. First Meetings

"**Eyes of the Undead"**

_By Nabira_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Phantom of the Opera. I do own this plot, Selena, William and all other original characters.

_Many thanks to my beta, xChristinex from PFN, who is an absolute Godsend!_

**ooo**

Chapter 1

_**First Meetings**_

Erik rushed through the dark streets; his only thoughts were of getting back to Christine. Normally, he would not leave her alone in his lair at night-time, but he didn't think it a good idea for the girl to starve to death, either. So it was out into the streets for him to get much needed supplies.

Erik had never seen the sky so cloudy at night. No light shone through to reach the ground; the stars and moon were completely covered. The only light around was the glow that came from the gas lanterns and the golden slivers that peeked through closed curtains. It was obviously about to storm.

Half an hour later, he was heading back to the Opera Populaire, groceries in tow. He travelled down the sidewalk, hiding from the illumination of the lanterns, even though there were very few people about. Erik looked at the sky, half expecting huge raindrops to hit his face. None came and the uneasy feeling that had grown in his gut still remained. He knew it was probably due to the imminent storm, but nevertheless, he reached his hand into his cloak. The touch of the smooth catgut lasso calmed him somewhat.

A burning feeling at the side of his neck made Erik spin around and catch a flash of something dark rush past.

"Who's there?" Erik asked, slightly alarmed. He knew that if the… attacker… was human, he, Erik, would have much better eyesight.

The girl had not seen the man's face before she touched him, but now as he spun around and she saw his luminous eyes, she regretted her actions.

"Forgive me, Monsieur," she said, hiding in the shadows. "I did not realise you were one of…"

The girl's voice trailed off. She had just realised something. The man smelled of life and she could suddenly sense the blood pumping through his veins. She mentally kicked herself. How stupid was she?

Erik felt the familiar glimmer of anger overcome him at the thought of a young woman hiding in the shadows. "Where are you, girl?" he asked crossly.

The girl stepped out from the shadows into the light of the streetlamp. She looked at Erik, a challenge in her eyes.

Erik breathed in sharply at the sight of the young lady standing before him. She was rather tall for a girl, perhaps an inch or two taller than Christine. She was just as thin, however, and the corset and dark, blood red dress she wore accentuated her figure. But the thing that amazed him the most was her face. Her lips were bright red and long, dark lashes framed bright, sapphire blue eyes that glowed in the darkness. Her hair, long and unrestrained, blew in the wind. The contrast between her black tresses and her white, almost transparent, skin was absolute, giving her an almost ethereal look.

Erik watched her, asking, "What is a young lady like you doing out at this time of night? It's not safe."

The girl smiled. "The night is the most beautiful time of the day," she replied pretentiously. "But what are you doing out at night? It's not safe," she smirked.

Erik narrowed his eyes at her comment, but didn't say anything. Breathing in deeply to stop himself from saying something he might regret, he instead settled on, "What is your name, Mademoiselle?"

The girl blinked. "Selena," she replied, a confused expression on her face. "What's yours?"

"Erik," he answered, staring at her pointedly.

"Just Erik?" she asked. "No last name?"

Erik looked at her sharply. "I could say the same about you, Mademoiselle," he retorted.

Selena smiled. "Touché."

Erik pulled his pocket watch out from inside his cloak and looked at it, disbelief obvious on his face. He couldn't believe how much time had passed. He had to get home to Christine.

"I shall take that look as my leave, then," Selena said, a smile spreading evilly across her face. "Good evening, Erik." She disappeared once again into the shadows.

Erik started as he watched the girl go. She seemed to disappear into thin air… _Nonsense_, Erik told himself. _It's just dark, that's why you couldn't keep watching her_.

Even so, the uneasy feeling had returned to his stomach. There was something strange about that girl…

**ooo**

The sound of the door slamming startled William from his book. Putting it down on the table next to him, he watched the hallway, waiting for the girl to come in. He heard her footsteps and, a moment later, Selena made her way into the room, obviously riled up about something.

"Where have you been?" he asked, slightly worried.

Selena walked over to the bookshelf and snatched an old notebook from it. Flipping through the pages furiously, she said, "I haven't eaten yet."

William gave her a disapproving look. "What took so long, then?" he asked, hardly expecting an answer.

Selena sighed. "I was _about_ to eat," she said, still flipping through pages, "But I came across something strange."

William pushed himself out of the chair and went to stand behind Selena. Looking over her shoulder at the flipping pages, he recognised Esme's journal, something that Selena hadn't looked at in years. "What happened, Selena?" he asked, trying to get some sort of idea as to what was going on.

Selena frowned at the page she had found. William, too, looked over her shoulder, but before he could read what was written on the page, Selena had flung the book to the other side of the room. "Speak to Esme?" she exclaimed. "Speak to Esme! Esme is in _England_! I can't go to _England_!"

William caught Selena before she started to make too much of a scene. "Selena, what is going on?" he asked.

Selena took a deep breath, anger showing on her face. "I was about to eat," she growled, "But then I saw his _face_."

William looked at the girl, watching the disbelief crossing her face. "His eyes…" she murmured, looking at the ceiling, "They were… glowing."

William's grip on Selena tightened slightly, realising what she was saying. "Was he a…?" he began, only to be cut off by Selena.

"Yes, he had our eyes, my dear," she said, "But he was of the living. A man with blood in his veins, but he had the eyes of the undead."

William hugged Selena, feeling her slacken in his arms. "What was in the journal?" he asked.

Selena pressed her head to his chest. "The top of the page read '_Vampire Eyes'_. Written beneath that was '_If a human has luminous eyes, see Esme_'." Selena sighed. "I _can't_ see Esme, she's in England and I'm _banned_ from England for another thirty years still."

William drew away from Selena, gazing into her eyes. "Write a letter to Esmeralda explaining what has happened. I'll go to England and deliver it for you."

Selena looked at William incredulously. "You would do that for me?" she asked, almost pitifully.

William smiled and kissed Selena chastely on the mouth. "For you, my darling, I would do anything," he replied.

**ooo**


	2. Protecting the Wicked

"**Eyes of the Undead"**

_By Nabira_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Phantom of the Opera, unfortunately. I do own Selena, William and all other original characters and the plot.

_Thanks to Brigitta, my beta, for fixing my mistakes for me.  
Also, HUGE THANKS to my friend Victoria who had a copy of this story when I lost everything on my USB and sent it back to me. Love you, hun!_

**ooo**

Chapter 2

**Protecting the Wicked**

The following evening, William left Selena to begin his journey across the ocean. "Don't do anything stupid," he sternly admonished before he left. "I don't want to come back to France and find out you've been exiled from here, too."

Selena's face split into a grin; pure white, straight teeth showed between her lips, the canines pointed and protruding over. "Don't worry, William," she said. "I am going to be a good girl and _not_ get caught."

William hugged her tightly and placed a kiss on the top of her forehead. "I'll miss you," he said softly.

Selena smiled sadly. "I'll miss you too. Don't take too long."

William pulled himself into the brougham and waved goodbye. Selena stayed outside watching the blonde man disappear until she could no longer see the carriage.

Walking back inside, Selena realised suddenly that it was the first time she had not been with William for nearly one hundred and twenty years. She could remember meeting him at that house in England as though it was yesterday. It was dark, of course, and she had been invited to meet some influential mortals the Vampire Council wanted to have dealings with. Selena knew she had been brought along because she was 'young' and more likely to convince the mortals to go along with their plans. She had not expected to meet a man she would become absolutely besotted with, however.

Three hundred and thirty years old at the time, Selena thought herself well above the childish prospect of falling in love. The man was in his late thirties – tall, muscular and good looking with slight crease lines by his eyes from laughter and blonde hair cut short. Selena learned that his name was William Carleton.

The vampires on the Council would've been more than happy for him to become one of them, but none wanted to be joined to him for life. It wasn't long before Selena found out that William was infatuated with her too, and a little over a year after she met him, he made the journey into the world of the undead.

Selena was joined to William for eternity, but she didn't mind. She loved him will all of her being and had never regretted her decision. While she knew that some of the primary vampires feared the thought of being tied to someone forever, she also knew that she was a person that craved companionship, and having William meant she would never be lonely.

Selena left the house and walked out into the cold Parisian streets. She was hoping for another glimpse of the man with the golden eyes, a man who, she suspected, was more like her than he thought.

Trailing down the streets, on the lookout for the man and also for some easy prey, it wasn't long before she found her dinner for that evening, sitting on a park bench in the Bois.

"Hello, Monsieur, may I sit next to you?" Selena asked the man, looking demurely at the ground.

"Certainly, Mademoiselle," he replied, shuffling over to allow her space. Selena sat down, smiled her thanks and looked out at the park. She was waiting for him to make the first move. They always did.

"What is a young lady like you doing out at night?" the man asked. Selena looked at him, a smile playing on her lips.

"The night is the most beautiful time of the day," she replied cryptically, her usual answer to such a question. "But, Monsieur, what are _you_ doing out at night?"

The man looked at her, surprised by her questioning. "I always sit here to watch the sunset."

"The sun is long gone," Selena grinned. "Why are you still here? You should be careful of things that go bump in the night."

The man smiled. "Ah, pretty lady, I am not afraid of things of the dark."

Selena looked at him. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Certainly," the man replied, almost thoughtfully.

Selena leaned over to where his ear was and whispered, "I'm not either." Before he could stop her, she pierced the skin of his neck with her fangs and drank, making sure to stop at the point where he would seem to be just another drunk passed out in the park and would recover all right.

As she stood up and rolled his head to the other side so that the wound was not obvious, she said to his unconscious form, "Do you know why I'm not afraid of those creatures? I'm one of them!"

Selena exited the Bois, and then took a carriage in the direction of the Opera Populaire. It had taken a lot of coaching of her memory for her to remember where she had seen the man, Erik, but she now remembered that they hadn't been far from there.

Once at the Opera House, Selena walked through the beautiful doors and found herself in an almost deserted foyer. Her supersensitive hearing picked up music, however, and judging by the audience's reaction, she could tell that the opera was nearly over. Deciding it would be best to be away from the living audience when they exited, just in case she did something she wasn't supposed to, Selena made her way to an out of the way area and sat down, waiting for the performance to finish.

Sure enough, ten minutes later the throng of Opera patrons left the building, talking amongst themselves about how great the performance had been and other stories which Selena didn't really care about. Selena watched the crowd for the tall man with dark hair and the golden eyes, but she didn't see him.

As the crowd dissipated, Selena left her hiding spot and looked around the foyer at the wonderful architecture and embellishments. Even though she seemed to be deep in thought, Selena saw the brunette girl before she observed Selena.

"Are you waiting for someone?" the girl asked, her large brown eyes looking thoughtful. She was very pretty, Selena thought, with her dark brown curls and her innocent eyes. And she was tall for a mortal girl, only one, maybe two inches shorter than Selena.

"Um, n-yes," Selena said, changing her mind mid-sentence. "I'm looking for someone, rather, I don't know if he works here or not."

"Oh, I can help you," the girl said smiling. "I'm in the chorus here."

"Oh, thank you," Selena said with a slight smile, careful not to show her teeth. "Um, this man is tall, with dark hair and golden eyes," racking her brain for the details.

"Do you know his name?" the girl asked.

Selena laughed to herself. "Silly me, I only have a first name; he didn't give me his surname. His name is Erik."

Selena saw the look of shock in the girl's features and the way the colour suddenly drained from her face. "I don't know anyone that works here by that name," she replied, a little too quickly.

"You do!" Selena whispered, shocking the girl again. "I can see it in your eyes."

The girl stared at Selena, her eyes warning her. "He doesn't work here," she said softly. "I promise you that!"

Selena sighed. "Fine then. I know you know him though, so tell him this: Selena is looking for him. He'll know who I am."

As she turned to go, Selena swung round one final time to look the girl in the eyes. "And since you now know who I am, I suppose I should know who _you_ are."

"Christine Daaé," the girl stammered. Selena could tell that she didn't want to part with that information, but suddenly there was a strange – _power_ – around this stranger that meant she couldn't refuse her any question. Selena smiled.

"I suppose I shall see you around then, Mademoiselle Daaé," she said as she swept out of the Opera Populaire doors.

**ooo**

Sorry for the long wait, I've been on holidays to Queensland, where it was VERY hot. And it was my birthday yesterday.  
Please review, it _really_ makes my day.

Caitlin


	3. The Hunted

"**Eyes of the Undead"**

_By Nabira_

* * *

Do you know how much trouble I had in bringing you all this next chapter. My giddy aunt. FFN wouldn't let me upload it, but I've finally managed now.

For those that _don't_ know, there is a new forum for POTO fans after everyone got mad at PFN... er, MFN or Muffins as we're dubbing it now. Go to: h t t p / p h a n s o n l i ne . n e t and take out all the spaces (often FFN won't let me put in URLs).

Once again, a million thanks to my beta, Brigitta.

* * *

Chapter 3

_**The Hunted**_

Selena really wasn't a person that liked losing. And a little slip of a girl was _not_ going to stop her from getting the information she needed. So when Selena left the Garnier, she fell into one of her usual tricks of hiding in the shadows.

She had known that Christine Daaé would soon have to leave the building, and when she did, Selena was ready for her. Still hiding in the shadows, Selena followed her down the street and into Rue Scribe.

The girl came to a gate that had a pathway leading from it, disappearing out of sight. As she passed through it, Selena rushed through with her, moving quickly yet soundlessly with all of her supernatural skill. Christine did not hear nor see her, but tightened her cloak around herself as though a chill had just swept over her.

Selena smiled. She was pretty sure she had touched Christine, and it _had_ been a while since she had drank from that man in the park. She was pretty sureconfident she had lost most of that unnatural warmth that the feeding had given her.

Christine walked down the path and into the underground passages, Selena following just close enough to still see her. She stillStill she hid in the shadows, but she was becoming a little bolder now. She knew that she could see much better in the dark than any mortal ever could and she delighted in that fact.

When they reached the water however, Selena lost all of the cockiness she had gained. There was a small boat moored at the side of the lake and Selena saw the man, Erik, waiting for Christine. Selena knew that there was no way she could get in that boat and not be seen by Erik or Christine – it was far too small. There was also no way she could get across the water without a boat.

Selena looked around the subterranean lake and noticed, for the first time, that the cavern that surrounded the water was rock. Not smoothed out architectural rock, but the type of rock that was found in caves. Placing a hand to it, Selena had an idea.

Erik and Christine were in the boat. Selena sat down and removed her slippers then gripped the rock. Breathing in deeply, she pulled herself up the wall, careful not to think about what would happen if she fell into the icy water below her. She had not climbed like this since she went to Cachtice with Vlad and that had been nearly two hundred and seventy years ago!

Selena breathed a huge sigh of relief as she made it to the other side, thankful that her bizarre vampire traits outweighed the laws of gravity.

Erik and Christine reached the other side of the lake not long after Selena did. Still hiding in the shadows, she watched Erik open the hidden door, her luminous eyes picking up every detail of how to open it. Erik and Christine went in and Selena decided to wait a while until she joined them.

It was a half hour when Selena finally worked up the courage to venture into Erik's home. It felt like she was breaking in – she really hadn't been invited. Christine didn't even know she had been followed.

Selena opened the secret door silently, careful not to make any noise. She really sincerely didn't wantwish the pair to know she was there until _she_ wanted them toto be known.

There were very few shadows within the well illuminated home and Selena felt slightly uneasy. It would have been much easier to have the darkness to hide in because then, at least, she wouldn't be so wary of being caught.

Selena heard a door shut and moved to peeak through the open door into the room where she knew the humans had been.

It was at that moment, however, that Selena realised that Erik knew she was there. She could feel his presence moving slowly around her and she could hear him coiling the rope, getting ready to strangle her if need be.

_One, two, three,_ Selena counted in her head, ready to step backwards on the count of ten. _Eight, nine, ten_! Selena stepped backwards and the rope fell in front of her, much to Erik's disbelief.

Selena looked up into Erik's glowing eyes, her own almost challenging. "It's not that easy to kill me, Erik," she said, her eyes locked on his. "Did Christine tell you I said hello?"

Erik started and said quickly, "How do you know Christine?" Then as he thought for a bit, he realised that was not the most pressing thing. "How did you get in _here_?" he asked exasperatedly. "How did you get across the _lake_?"

Selena smiled, letting Erik see the full glory of her pointed canines. "Some things are better left _unsaid_, Erik," she replied mysteriously. Looking at the couch in the middle of the room, she said, "Aren't you going to offer me a seat?"

Erik sighed and gestured for her to take a seat. When they were settled, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

Selena smiled, careful not to show her teeth once again. "You interest me," she said, half telling the truth. "You're different, unusual, _dangerous_ – like me."

Erik looked at her and for the first time Selena realised that he wore a mask. She had been so caught up with his undead eyes that she hadn't even noticed the rest of his face. "I don't enjoy being toyed with, girl," he said warningly, his voice a low growl.

"I can understand that, _young man_," she said, stressing the fact that she was much older than she looked. "But And I expect you to understand that while since you _do_ interest me, I am going to be seeing you quite a bit."

Erik looked glared at her and Selena could see the anger and barely constrained temper in his eyes.

Selena smiled. "Good evening then, Erik. I need to get home before the sun fries me alive. Don't worry, I can find my way out."

With that, Selena turned and left, leaving a very confused Erik to be alone.


	4. Into the Lion's Den

**"Eyes of the Undead"**

_By Nabira_

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own it.

_Thank you to my wonderful beta, Brigitta.  
Also sorry that this took so long. I had some problems with an email from Brigitta not going through, but it's all good now._

Chapter 4

**Into the Lion's Den**

After Selena left, it was an hour before Erik could leave the room. He had never met a young woman so sure of herself and so in control of her surroundings. If he had not seen _her_ and had just seen her personality, he would have thought that she was at least fifty years old. She had such… _wisdom_, that Erik could not believe she was the same age as Christine. And she had called him _young man_. At forty years old, he was certainly _not_ a young man! That boy who had been chasing after Christine lately, now _he_ could be called a young man. But Erik?

And what had she said? About how he was like _her_? She had said he was dangerous, but he could not imagine how a young lady like her could possibly be considered as dangerous.

There was something different about her, something that meant that even if you put her next to a million girls her age with the same beauty, it would still make her stand out. And what confused him was she seemed to see right through the mask as though she didn't even notice it at all. She looked him straight in the eyes, _as an equal_.

Erik sighed and decided to go to bed, even though he knew he wouldn't sleep. He was actually quite glad that Christine had gone to bed before Selena decided to make her presence known. He knew the girl would probably ask questions if she had been there, and thanks to Selena's puzzling nature, he wouldn't have been able to answer them.

**ooo**

When Christine left the underground lair the next morning to attend her rehearsals, she finally told Erik the news he already knew, that a girl named Selena was looking for him. With a curt nod, Erik answered Christine's unspoken question of did he know her and, when she looked at him, slightly shocked, he replied, "I'm not a total recluse, girl!"

Erik spent the morning composing until he was interrupted at about noon by the alarm going off. He knew that someone was on the banks of the lake and, picking up the Punjab lasso that had been so ineffective against Selena last night, he went outside to confront the intruder.

It was a boy. He looked quite nervous and was pacing on the other side of the lake. Erik had no intentions of hurting the child, but giving him a scare might be good for him.

Erik was about to frighten him when he saw the boy clutched an envelope in his hands. He was obviously a messenger who had been sent to deliver a letter to someone and gotten lost. Unless, of course, he was somehow trying to deliver a letter to Erik.

"Who's the letter for, child?" Erik asked, throwing his voice so that the boy thought it was coming from a rock by the lake.

The boy cautiously crept toward the rock and replied softly, "The lady said it was for a Monsieur Erik."

Erik was surprised. "What was the lady's name?" he made the rock ask.

"Lady Beauvais," the boy replied carefully.

"Leave it next to me," Erik said, still making it seem as though the rock was talking. "Then _leave_!"

The boy dropped the letter next to the rock and ran as fast as his legs could take him toward the tunnels that led back to Rue Scribe. When Erik could no longer hear his footsteps, he walked over to the rock and picked up the letter.

_Erik_, the letter read.

_I hope you didn't scare poor Lucien _too_ much, he's a good boy and I couldn't deliver this letter myself. However, I stick by what I said before – you are a lot like me. I would have scared him if I had the chance._

_I do believe we need to have a chat. As I cannot leave the house until late this evening, I suggest you visit me. The address is 15 Rue Mignard in the 16th arrondissement. There will be a carriage waiting for you out in front of the Opera Populaire at 12:30._

_I do expect you to come, Erik. This is important and I trust that you understand._

_Yours,_

_Selena._

Erik sighed. So the young lady did have a last name. Looking at his pocket watch, he realised that he had fifteen minutes until he was expected to be in the carriage on his way to Selena's.

Grumbling to himself and _seriously_ considering not doing what the girl had asked, he moved back into the house to change his clothes. Ten minutes later, he was out the front of the Opera and climbing into a carriage that the driver informed him Lady Selena Beauvais had sent.

Erik relaxed in the carriage and looked out the window, the city whirling past as they travelled to the prestigious area of the 16th arrondissement. He wasn't really surprised that that was the area where Selena lived – he could tell by the clothes she wore that she had money. And the boy and the driver had both called her 'Lady'. Perhaps she was of the old nobility and her family had survived the Revolution.

The house at number 15 Rue Mignard was beautiful and grand. It had a small front garden and its two stories opposed the rest of the houses in the street.

The driver of the carriage opened the door for Erik and, as he climbed out, said, "Lady Selena has asked me to tell you that the door is unlocked and you may go straight through." With a nod of his head, the driver climbed back into the carriage to move it.

Erik thought it was a little strange that Selena wanted him to come straight in, but, nevertheless, he let himself into the house and shut the door behind him.

The first thing he noticed was that there was no natural light inside the house. Heavy curtains kept all light from entering, and the closing of the door had also stopped the entry of the sun's rays.

"Erik, is that you?" a voice called from a room somewhere in the house.

"Yes," Erik replied, recognising Selena's voice.

"Have you shut the front door?" she asked.

"Yes," Erik said once again, slightly perplexed by the question.

"Good." A door not far down the hall opened and Selena emerged, dressed in a navy blue day dress, her hair unrestrained as usual and her blue eyes glowing in the darkness. She reached out a hand to Erik and said quietly, "I apologise for not being at the door to greet you."

Erik took her hand and nervously kissed her knuckles softly.

Selena smiled at his obvious apprehension. "Come," she said. "I will give you a tour of the house."

The house was large but homely. The downstairs consisted of a kitchen, an office, a dining room, a sitting room and a ballroom and the upstairs had the bedrooms, a few bathrooms and a library. Every room, except for the kitchen, looked like it was used on a regular basis and Erik found himself engrossed with the large collection of books that Selena had in her library.

How Selena managed to pry him away from the manuscripts that he was flipping through, Erik didn't know, but somehow she got him back downstairs and into the sitting room.

Erik sat in one of Selena's comfortable couches as she moved around the room illuminating it. "Why don't you just open the curtains, Selena?" he asked.

Selena flashed a devilish smile at Erik. "I'm about to tell you _why_," she replied.

Erik was starting to feel very impatient by the time Selena finally sat down on the opposite couch, though he knew that she was deliberately goading him. "So," she said, her eyes dancing with contained laughter, "Do you want me to start at the beginning or do you want me to tell you straight out?"

Erik glared at her. "I don't have time for games, girl," he replied stoically.

"You seem a little cranky, Erik," she replied, her blue eyes shining.

Erik clenched his fists, trying to keep himself from hurting the girl. But Selena was suddenly standing in front of him. He had not seen her move, though he had been watching her intensely.

Her warm breath caressed his cheek as she whispered into his ear.

"Erik… I'm a vampire."

**ooo**


End file.
